LETTER: In response to Roman essay
In his July 21 essay, “Another Power Grab by Commissioners,” Washington County Register of Wills James Roman takes to task the commissioners who are considering creating a board to study county government structure with the potential for this to result in the enactment of changes.
One passage sticks out in his column: “The commissioners are turning a blind eye when it comes to the public’s desire to audit election results and machines …” “The public?” Which members of “the public,” Mr. Roman?
It is members of the public who choose to believe “the big lie” rather than fact, and in their recklessness, they are willing to inflict millions of dollars in costs on county taxpayers in the naive hope that if yet another audit is conducted, some type of impropriety will be found.
Commissioner Nick Sherman had the audacity to assert as fact at a recent commissioners meeting that fraud occurred in two heavily Democratic counties, Allegheny and Philadelphia. Proof? Who needs proof? Donald Trump says so! Follow the leader! Shamefully, commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughn also opened the door to such an audit, seeking to placate the pro-Trump crowd assembled at this meeting to state its grievances. Shall we also audit the upset election victories of the Republican auditor general, treasurer, and legislators? Why not? I say there was fraud!
Some seek further scrutiny of the election of Nov. 3 for but one reason: Trump said there was fraud. Heck, he told us before the election that if he lost, it would mean that the election was fraudulent!
Never mind the fact that a bipartisan group of election officials, elected officials including secretaries of state, and courts all the way up to the conservative United States Supreme Court have declared that there was no level of fraud that would change any election result.
Mr. Roman, if you are going to endorse yet another audit of the Nov. 3 election at the behest of the former president and in so doing, seek to diminish confidence in our system of elections and our democracy, you betray the public trust and are unworthy of service to our county.
Oren Spiegler
Peters Township